Muller, Marcia - [McCone 05] Leave a Message for Willie [v1.0] (htm) Read Free Book Online Page B

congregations instituted a
practice of marking their Torahs with code symbols—in the
margins, in invisible ink. The codes are registered so there's a
record of ownership. When a congregation is considering buying a
Torah, they're supposed to check under ultraviolet light for the
code."
    "Does it work?"
    "Sometimes, but not all that well. A lot of them are too
trusting to do it; some are afraid of offending the sellers. Also,
many congregations don't want to mark their Torahs, even invisibly;
they feel it's a kind of desecration."
    "I see." But I still didn't understand what all this
talk of religious scrolls had to do with Willie.
    "Recently quite a few stolen Torahs have turned up in Bay
Area synagogues," Levin went on. "Some were detected right
off, and that alerted other synagogues, who checked those they'd
already purchased. There have been at least a dozen cases, and God
knows how many others haven't been uncovered."
    "And Willie—"
    "There are indications that the Torahs may have been moved
through his operation."
    "What indications?"
    "I can't say. It might give away the identity of our
informant. But I can tell you that Mr. Whelan probably has several
Torahs in his possession right now."
    “A Torah is parchment, wound around two large wooden pegs
with handles at either end, right?"
    "Yes."
    I thought back to the jumble in Willie's garage. I'd seen nothing
remotely resembling a Torah there, but that didn't mean much. Willie
himself didn't know for sure what he had back there. "What
happens when you find someone is in possession of a stolen Torah? Do
you go to the police?"
    "If we feel the person is a thief, yes."
    "What about someone like Willie? Would you call the police or
merely try to get the Torahs back?"
    "All we really want is the Torahs. I understand Mr. Whelan
has a large fencing business; I don't suppose one arrest would stop
him."
    "No, I don't think it would." I was silent for a moment.
If Willie did indeed have the stolen Torahs, chances were he'd taken
them in an odd deal, like the player piano. I doubted if fencing
religious scrolls constituted a large part of his livelihood. "What
if I can get the Torahs back for you and promise that Willie won't
trade in them again?"
    "I think I could promise in return that we wouldn't bother
him anymore."
    I nodded. "I'll have to talk to him, of course. But I don't
think there will be any problem. You've been annoying Willie by
watching him, and all he wants is for it to stop."
    "We'd have no need to watch him, once the Torahs are
returned."
    "Good. Then shall we go back to the market and settle this
right now?"
    Levin glanced nervously at his watch. "I'm supposed to meet
with Rabbi Halpert in fifteen minutes."
    "Who's he?"
    "Rabbi David Halpert; he's my advisor here in San Francisco."
    I'd heard of David Halpert; he was active in a number of social
causes. "All right. What about this? You keep your appointment
with the rabbi, and I'll talk to Willie. Then we'll all meet at seven
tonight."
    "Where?"
    I thought of Willie's house, and then of the bar that took his
messages. "The Oasis Bar and Grill, on Irving Street."
    Levin wrinkled his nose.
    "Don't worry; it's a respectable place. Bring Rabbi Halpert,
if it will make you feel more comfortable."
    "Maybe I will." He held out his hand, palm up.
    I stared at it.
    "May 1 have my car keys?"
    "Oh, sure." I dug in my pocket and gave them back to
him. "Don't forget—seven o'clock."
    "I won't. We're as anxious to straighten this out as you
are."

6

    Willie was mystified by the story of the stolen Torahs. "I
wouldn't know a Torah if I tripped over one. And I sure as hell
wouldn't fence religious stuff anyway. Jesus, I was brought up a
Catholic; I got too much respect to do a thing like that."
    "Well, some informant claims you have been."
    "I'd like to get my hands on the son-of-a-bitch—"
    "That kind of talk isn't going to help us. We don't even know
who he is."
    "So now what do we do?"
    "I think we should keep our